


Strength

by SepticAce



Category: Enola Holmes (2020), Henry Cavill - Fandom, Man of Steel (2013)
Genre: D/s lifestyle, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Henry Cavill RPF - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29242881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SepticAce/pseuds/SepticAce
Summary: You and Henry finally get to catch up after not having seen each other in months and some secrets get spilled. Non-sexual D/s themes.
Relationships: Henry Cavill/Reader, Henry Cavill/You
Kudos: 5





	Strength

“Hey love, I’ve missed you!”, Henry greets you with a grin. You’ve finally found some time to meet for dinner after your plans fell through again and again because you’re both so busy all the time. He gives you a big hug, squeezing tightly. You breathe in his scent and revel in finally seeing your close friend in person again. It’s been so long!

“You look well” he remarks as you sit down.

“I’ve sort of started working out regularly.” you admit, to Henry’s big surprise. “Really, you? I remember someone saying ‘I just don’t get people working out for no reason’” the mocking tone in his voice carries the good-natured banter of years of friendship.

“Well, I mean” you start defensively but catch yourself and start again “I just felt like I needed to be a bit stronger to carry the weight of the world. Or my world at least. Gosh that sounds pretentious. Plus, I’ve always wanted to be able to do a good number of push-ups. Just never found the discipline to do it regularly. And also a bit of muscle definition is a good look!” you still feel like you’re being super defensive, but Henry just grins at you. “Shut up! People can change their minds on things!”

“I didn’t say anything, love. I was just thinking that I’m proud of you for sticking with it. I know you’ve struggled in the past.” His linger on you for another moment before going back to browsing the menu. You sit in silence for a moment, picking your meals and finally order.

After another moment Henry breaks the silence. “So, what’s made your world so heavy recently that you needed extra physical strength to get through?” You let out a half-laughing puff of air. 

“I…” it takes you a moment to find the words. Everything had been upside down and inside out for you recently and you’re stressed out of your mind with work and studying. And on top of that, you’d been overwhelmed with waves of loneliness and yearning for a relationship. For someone to hold you and love you and take care of you. “Work’s been a lot. I’ve actually handed in my notice recently, but still need to get through a couple more weeks.” You hope that he’ll be satisfied with your answer and not dig deeper. You didn’t want to start crying before you even got your food. When he doesn’t respond but keeps looking at you expectantly you add on: “It’ll be fine though. I’ll have more time to study and maybe hang out if you’re staying in town for a while.”

He smiles at that last part. “I’d like that. We don’t see enough of each other.”

Another silence overcomes the two of you. You thought your catching up was going to go differently, but you’ve been so scatter-brained recently that you barely have the mind to remember what had been going on in your life.

“What about you? How’s the shoot going? How’s Kal?” This finally kickstarts a more light-hearted conversation, as Henry goes on and on about his co-stars and the latest shoot shenanigans. You keep chatting until the food comes and over dinner, though it’s mostly him talking and you throwing in the occasional question just enjoying the company and feeling of having him close again. After you’ve finished your plates Henry picks up the tab and you decide to go for a wee nightly walk together. As the night gets later and colder, you end up on a bench. As Henry notices you start to shiver, he puts his arm around your shoulders and pulls you close, sharing his body heat. You lean in and breathe him in again, the scent so unmistakably Henry. And you start thinking about the long lonely nights that you were lying in bed, missing him, hoping that you two would never truly separate but also aware that he might not be interested in what you were hoping for in your relationship. A deep sigh escapes your lungs before you can catch it and of course Henry notices. He sits you up a little straighter and looks you straight in the eyes. You feel like he’s staring right into your soul.

“Right, love, we’ve been talking about me all night, but you still haven’t told me what’s actually going on with you.” You try to avoid his gaze, but a hand comes up and gently redirects your face towards him again. “I don’t believe that it’s just your work stress. You’re never this quiet. Please, darling, I want to know. How am I gonna help you if you won’t tell me?” His voice is so gentle it makes you want to drown in it. You close your eyes in an attempt to compose yourself, but just then a single tear escapes your eye. At that, Henry gently wipes it away and hugs you tightly again, holding your head to his chest. “Please love, you can talk to me. I hate to see you so distraught.” Now that his strong arms envelop and hold you and you’re not met with his direct eye contact anymore, you find the strength to speak. “I wish I didn’t…” your voice cracks so you take another deep breath, Henry patiently waiting for what you have to say. “I wish I didn’t have to be so strong all the time. I’ve built my life on this façade that I can do it all myself and I’m strong and independent and can handle myself and these things are true, but they’re not really what I want. I want to be able to let go. I want for someone to take me and cherish the soft parts and take care of me and love me. I don’t want to be making so many decisions all the time. I want someone to devote myself to and hold on to, who won’t find me weird for being so clingy and needy and…“ you trail off, tears starting to stream silently down your cheeks and soaking Henry’s shirt. You feel you’ve out enough out there, more than you’d ever admitted to anyone. Henry stays quiet long enough for you to start worrying that you may have weirded him out and that he is going to leave too. You internally curse yourself for opening up and telling him.

“Oh, love” his deep, quiet, reassuring voice is like a healing balm on your wounded pride. When he doesn’t continue you decide that you might as well be putting it all out there.

“And I wouldn’t mind for that someone to be you.” Then after a short pause you immediately try to backtrack, instant regret hitting you. “I mean, it’s a weird thing and if you’re not into it then I understand and obviously I mean I don’t even know if you’re into me at all but I just wanted it out there and…” he cuts you off by gently putting his finger to your lips.

“If I had known, love, I would’ve started taking care of you a long time ago.” He’s still holding you to his chest, but you can tell by the change in his voice that your little speech affected him greatly.

You sit in silence for a moment, and you think maybe he’ll change his mind again. Maybe his words only now really got through to him. Then he speaks up again.

“Thinking back, I really should’ve noticed much sooner that you’re submissive. All the playfights you start but quickly surrender. Always asking me to pick a place to meet. Your habit of poking the bear until I’ve had enough and reprimand you. Hell, even your big pile of plushies could be a sign.” Henry’s hand sneaks up to the back of your neck and gently squeezes it, eliciting a sigh of relief from you. You slowly push yourself off his chest to look at your friend, still in disbelief that he not only seems to understand but actually expressed an interest in being your dominant. He smiles as you raise your gaze and with his free hand reaches for yours.

“Your hand is absolutely freezing, love! We should get moving again. I’ll walk you home.” He rises and pulls you up as well, taking off his coat and helping you put it on.

“What about you?” you protest, but he shuts it down with a stern look.

“You just said you want someone to take care of you, so let me take care of you.” With that, he reaches around you waist and pulls you tightly towards him. You start walking in the direction of your home. The silence hanging between you now has a different feel to it than earlier. To you, it feels like hope. An immediate sense of belonging and the universe falling into place. You wonder if Henry feels the same, still in disbelief that this is actually happening.

“So, Y/N, how long have you known you’re submissive?” The question, and him using your actual name, startles you out of your haze.

“I started figuring it out at around 17, but the details have obviously changed a lot since those first steps. What about you?” “A couple of years now. I’ve dug into it and educated myself, but not had the chance to live it yet.”

The rest of the night is filled with a lot of discussion about your wants and needs, wishes, dreams and limits, until you fall asleep in his arms, feeling safer than you have in a long time. Hoping he’d still be there in the morning.


End file.
